


Klaine Advent Fics

by itallstartedwithharry



Category: Glee
Genre: Canonical Character Death, F/F, F/M, Light Dom/sub, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-01
Updated: 2014-12-25
Packaged: 2018-02-19 10:43:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 12,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2385488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itallstartedwithharry/pseuds/itallstartedwithharry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oneshots written for Klaine Advent 2013 and 2014 on tumblr.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Key

**Author's Note:**

> Note that not all characters/tags apply for every chapter.

“You have the key to my heart-”  _rip_

“I will always be there to unlock-”  _crumple_

“I was locked away until-” _scribble_

“I’ll hold the lock and you hold the key.”  _YES! Wait. Shit. Those aren’t even my words._

“UGH!” Kurt pushed aside yet another piece of paper destroyed by harsh x’s and lines running through words, letting his head fall to the desk in front of him with a dull thud and a slight wince.

“Everything going okay in there?” called Blaine from the living room.

It had been a mutual decision without hesitation – of course they would write their own wedding vows. They’d always found it easy to convey their thoughts through song; writing promises to each other that they’d discussed since high school shouldn’t be that difficult. Now the wedding was a few weeks away and Kurt insisted they take the afternoon to start on the vows, Blaine on the couch and Kurt in the bedroom. Needless to say it was not going as easily as he had intended.

“No,” Kurt groaned back. “We have to cancel the wedding and change everything because I’m a horrible fiancé.” He finished the exclamation with a dramatic sweep of the papers onto the floor, slightly disappointed no one had been there to appreciate it.

“Awww,” Kurt hear Blaine get off the couch, and he turned his head slightly on the desk so one eyeball could see Blaine as he poked his gelled head into the bedroom, attempting a sympathetic pout but unable to hide the joy shining from his eyes that had been there since the beginning of the month. “You know that’s not true! Anything you say will be perfect.”

“But I can’t!” Kurt turned around so he faced Blaine head on. “Because you always say the most romantic things so I tried to use some metaphor or something to make our love sound beautiful and grand but I got stuck and the only thing I was able to come up with was Madonna lyrics but none of it was right so now I don’t know what to do and you’re going to make everyone cry with your vows but mine won’t be good enough!” He finished his rant out of breath and got up and jumped on their bed, hiding his face in the comforter to hide his tears of frustration. _Stupid, crying over this. The fact that I can’t write to save my life about the man I’m going to marry…_

Blaine’s eyes opened wide and he moved forward instantly, curling up alongside Kurt and rubbing his back soothingly in circles.

“Kurt, you know that’s not true. Yeah, I may have a tendency for overdramatic gestures, but that’s no better than what you give me. Those flowers you gave me for West Side Story, the kiss in the courtyard when we got back together…you surprise me every day. Every smile you give to me is a gift, and the fact you want me as a husband is the greatest gift of all.”

Kurt turned toward him, eyes slightly red. “See, this is what I mean.” He shook his head before burying it in the covers again.

Blaine bit his lip, chiding himself internally before trying again. “What I’m trying to say, Kurt, is that you’re the most special, unique, interesting person I’ve ever met. Instead of trying to match what you think I’d write, just write like you’re talking to me. When we get married, I know all of our friends and family are going to be there, and you’ve worked hard on every detail so that everyone will appreciate it. But for those few minutes, it’s just going to be us.” Blaine ran his hand through Kurt’s hair, moving in closer when Kurt peeked toward him again. “And I want to hear your vows the way you’d say them, because you’re the one who I fell in love with.”

Kurt couldn’t help but smile at Blaine’s joyful expression, leaning forward and meeting him in an awkward kiss through both their smiles. He curled up even closer so their legs tangled, their arms wrapped around each other, and their chests were pressed against each other.

“I love you so much, Blaine.” It was a whisper against his ear.

“You could just say that and it would be the only thing I’d ever need to hear.”

Their drafts forgotten, the fiancés spent the remainder of the afternoon in bed together, showing rather than telling their love for each other.

And when Kurt woke in the morning to Blaine spooned around him, he began to brainstorm; the words coming to him as easy as air.

“I can’t wait to be married to you.” Kurt whispered, leaning back against his fiancé with a smile as he sank slowly back into sleep.


	2. Dirt

Moving out of their New York apartment and buying a house in the suburbs was more of a process than Blaine could have ever dreamed. First there was finding the right neighborhood, then narrowing their choices to homes Kurt would even consider stepping foot into, deciding which houses had the amount of space Blaine wanted their future children to play in, determining their budget…

There had been some petty squabbling and several evenings of pure stress over how huge this decision was, but more often than not those nights ended with holding each other close under the blankets, trading choked up whispers of how this was a new step in their life together and how much they were looking forward to raising a family.

Despite it all, they’d finally done it. The loans had been determined, insurance taken care of, papers signed, furniture moved – the house was theirs.

After their version of a housewarming celebration (which involved Kurt bending Blaine over 2 counters and Blaine blowing him on the couch), they began the tedious job of unpacking.

Blaine hummed to himself while stacking their china in the kitchen cabinets, listening to the methodical pacing of Kurt upstairs as he re-orientated his closet in their new home and waiting for the occasional commentary shouted his way.

“I told you this color wasn’t the best for this lighting Blaine! That will have to go.”

“Blaine your bowtie drawer fits perfectly here  _and_ so does my scarf organizer.”

“Blaine this shower is PERFECT! It’s huge…god I can’t wait to fuck you in here.” (okay  _that_  one almost caused him to upset their entire dvd shelf he’d been organizing by genre)

*

Several hours and a pizza later, Kurt and Blaine were lying on their couch from their apartment, happily examining their new work-in-progress home coming to life around them. Blaine stroked Kurt’s ring quietly, overwhelmed with the emotions and significance surrounding what they had done.

“It’s just surreal…you know?” Blaine murmured in Kurt’s ear. “All I ever wanted as a teenager was to fall in love with a boy and make a life together. And this? Here? With you?” Blaine’s voice broke slightly. “It’s perfect. More than I ever could have imagined.”

Kurt lifted up his head to kiss the single tear that had escaped from his watery eyes. “It is. And it’s ours.” We’re going to make this a true home together, and next year Rachel said she’ll be ready…” He laughed through his own watery eyes as Blaine hugged him from the side, pillowing his head on his chest. “Then we’ll have something else that’s ours.”

They sat in silence for a while, sharing the occasional kiss as the sun cast an orange light through the main living room window.

“Blaine?”

The change in tone made Blaine prop his chin up to look at his husband.

“Yes?”

“I want a garden.”

“…what?”

“A garden. Outside, with flowers. Like in all those homey magazines.”

“You don’t want to decorate inside fir-”

“Nope. This weekend we’re going to that plant nursery we passed in the moving truck.”

“Okay,” Blaine shook his head, smiling. Even now, Kurt always zigged when he least expected it.

*

“How about these?”

“No.”

“Oooooh Kurt look at those!”

“Blaine, pay attention, it says here these require too much shade for our backyard.”

“Oh…what about those ones with the weirdly shaped petals?”

“Those don’t go with my vision.”

Blaine pouted quietly. They had been at the plant nursery for over 45 minutes and Kurt had yet to choose a single flower. Their cart currently had several bags of soil and plant food, which Kurt had handled by himself, much to Blaine’s ogling pleasure. Armed with two magazines that had different colored tabs sticking out and 3 Pinterest printouts, Kurt was evidently on a mission to make the perfect garden. Blaine had opted to bring Kurt the brightest and prettiest flowers he could find, none of which had passed judgment so far.

As time continued to tick by without Kurt deciding anything, Blaine became more and more desperate, until he finally succeeded in convincing Kurt to ask the opinion of one of the employees, an older woman who “had taken care of more gardens than babies” (Blaine wasn’t sure what that was supposed to mean). Once they had gotten more flowers than Blaine knew existed, not to mention a garden manual, and left with a promise to consider purchasing “quality stone to surround your picturesque garden”, they headed home.

Blaine helped Kurt drag their purchases into the backyard, finally collapsing on top of the pile of soil bags once they’d finished. Or so he thought.

“Alright. Time to start planning!” Kurt beamed as he began to sort the flowers by color and shade preference.

“Now?” Blaine groaned, wincing at the sweat collecting on his back and the warmth on his neck he suspected was the beginnings of a sunburn. Who would’ve thought the nursery would take 3 hours?)

“Awww. No honey, why don’t you go take a quick nap, I know this morning was long. It’ll take me a while to decide the location of each plant anyway. You can come back out when I start to plant!”

Nodding, Blaine shuffled inside with a yawn, collapsing on the couch.  _Just 30, maybe 40 minutes, then I’ll check on him…_

*

Blaine woke to a slight crick in his neck, stretching out his arms before he froze, looking at the time on the clock hanging on the opposite wall.  _Shit._  He’d left Kurt working on their garden all alone for the past 2 hours.  _Great. A+ Husband award right there._

Running out the front door and around the house, Blaine hurried over to their garden spot, almost tripping over a spare spade in the process.

“Kurt I’m so sorry I must have–” Blaine stopped short, surveying the scene. The area that had, admittedly, resembled the perfect space for a little garden in view from their living room window, was dug up unevenly. Flowers seemed to be placed sporadically throughout the space, occasionally too close to one another and leaving awkward gaps. As Blaine stepped forward he heard a small snap; looking down he saw a discarded flower, seemingly thrown to the side after it had lost its head. And in front of it all, his husband sat cross legged on the ground, hands on his forehead, mid upper arm down to his fingers covered in brown dirt – not to mention his knees.

“Um…Kurt?”

“I give up.”

“What? Why? It’s not that bad it’s just-”

“Just what, Blaine? A mess? A disaster? Something resembling a 5-year-old’s school project? A –DON’T YOU DARE LAUGH AT ME BLAINE HUMMEL-ANDERSON!”

As Kurt had raised his arms to emphasize his point, Blaine couldn’t help himself. There was dirt in Kurt’s hair, on his chin, and even on his adorable nose. As Kurt’s watery eyes glared at him, Blaine forced himself to cut off his laughter to a stifled giggle.

“I can’t help it – you’re adorable.” He grabbed Kurt’s hands and pulled him to his feet, ignoring his petulant attempts to remain seated. “Look, how about tomorrow we’ll plant the rest of the flowers and see what we can do. And maybe we can buy some decorative rocks or a statue or a gnome or something to fill in those blank spaces!” Ignoring Kurt’s judgmental eyebrow raise at the mention of a gnome, Blaine continued. “My mom loved her plants, and when I was little she’d always let me help with them! She said I had a special green thumb just like her.” He finished, beaming.

Kurt stubbornly looked off to the side, muttering something along the lines of “I’ll tell you where you can put that green thumb…”

“On that note,” Blaine kissed Kurt’s pout and wrapped his arms around him, patting his dirt-covered ass. “How about we quit gardening for the day and go back to your comment about the shower earlier in the week?”

Feeling Kurt smile against his mouth, Blaine sauntered to their back door. “Come on, husband, time to show me how dirty you really are.” He winked and stepped inside, hearing Kurt’s hysterical laughter as he ran towards the stairs, peeling off his shirt as he went. Home, sweet home indeed.


	3. Consume

“Uuuuugh.”

“Yeah.”

“No me gusta.”

“You said it babe.”

“Kuuuurt.”

Kurt rolled his eyes, even as he patted his own stomach gingerly. “Well, we said we wanted it to be the greatest Thanksgiving any of us have had in New York.”

“True,” Dani responded from where she was lying on the couch alongside Santana, “but next time let’s try not to consume enough food to feed the entire population of the city.”

“As long as we don’t leave out the vegan green bean casserole!” Rachel exclaimed.

“Or that fantastic bread and bacon stuffing.” Added Dani. “Or those fancy potatoes.” She amended after Santana poked her in the back.

“Definitely don’t forget that yam dish,” Elliott said dreamily, “the marshmallows were a fantastic touch.”

Kurt snorted, as practically every dish had been named. He glanced down to where Blaine’s head was pillowed on his thigh expectantly.

“Ummm…well I mean we need the turkey obviously. But also those carrots…ooh and those biscuits!” Blaine sighed happily. “Yum.”

Kurt grinned and patted Blaine’s tummy gently; he had always loved the amount of cooking required on Thanksgiving, and every year it was his personal challenge to surpass the previous year’s dinner. But this time, on his own in New York with his new family, it felt more special than ever.

_Ding!_

Kurt glanced over at the timer, signaling that the pie sitting in the fridge was properly set and ready to eat.

“…pie anyone?”

There was a resounding groan followed by a short silence.

“Yes!”

“I can’t say no to that.”

“Can you deliver two slices to the couch?”

“Yes please, Kurt.”

As Kurt hauled himself off the couch, thankful for his choice to wear sweats, and headed for the pie cutter, he couldn’t keep the smile off of his face. His best friend from high school, the fiery girl he’d grown to love, the woman that made her smile shyly, their new incredibly talented friend who wanted them all to succeed, and his beautiful fiancé who he loved with all his heart. He couldn’t be more thankful.


	4. Ache

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here begins Klaine Advent 2014! Day One - Ache

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for Finn's death.

It was an ache Kurt suspected would never leave him entirely. And if he was being honest with himself, he didn’t want it to.

_Christmas Past_

Kurt couldn’t picture a better weekend leading up to the holiday. After filming their decidedly goofy but adorable video for glee (which set a lovely mood seeing as though it was set in Kurt and Blaine’s future home), Rachel had suggested that Kurt and Blaine join her and Finn for a double date. Excited at the idea of the upcoming week off, the four of them drove to the golf course two towns over and went sledding for the first time in ages. They teamed up, cheering and playfully taunting each other as their natural competiveness took over. Kurt took pride in his and Finn’s sled going the fastest, Finn and Blaine’s sled flipped over the most (to universal hilarity), Blaine and Rachel’s went the farthest, Kurt and Rachel’s wasn’t counted because their boyfriends ambushed them with snowballs halfway down the hill, and Blaine’s insisting he and Kurt would win was proven wrong when Kurt decided to turn him around and kiss instead of steering.

After their cheeks were raw with cold, their sweaters freezing from cruelly aimed snowballs, and their hair stiff as ice, Kurt called for a truce and the four of them went back to the Lima Bean. There, laughing over minty, chocolaty drinks and listening to Christmas music in the background as Rachel waxed on about Finn’s incredibly romantic gift, Kurt’s thoughts drifted to the paper ring in his car.

This was the best Christmas yet by far.

_Christmas Present_

Christmas had always been Finn’s favorite holiday; Carole had mentioned as much the previous night with a sad smile. Kurt had agreed; maybe it had been the child in him, the excitement of presents, or the large amount of food. But regardless of the reason, Finn had brought something special to the Hummel Christmas that had been missing since Elizabeth’s death.

But now, for the second time in Kurt’s life, this year would mark the first Christmas without someone he loved. The grief, which had been a constant companion since the spring, found its way into their holiday traditions at unexpected and sudden moments. It happened when Carole went last minute shopping and accidently bought an additional package of cinnamon rolls, forgetting she didn’t have to compensate for her son’s appetite. When Burt went online to find something for Carole, he was hit with grief in the form of an ad for the latest Xbox game. Kurt had to take a 30 minute break from preparing the eggnog when he got lost in the memory of the time he and Finn drank too much of it and spent the entire night in “the ultimate bro talk”.

There was no escaping the pain. But rather than wallowing, the three Hudson-Hummels became determined to include every aspect of the holiday Finn had loved so much. A picture of a seven-year-old Finn, beaming overexcitedly on Santa’s lap, had found a place on their hearth’s seasonal decorations, along with a more recent one of him and Kurt from their first Christmas as a family.

Christmas Eve, the highlight of their traditions, was brightened by Blaine’s presence. Brushing aside Burt and Carole’s worries with assurances that he’d been to more than enough of his mother’s sales parties, he helped fill the empty space. Singing sweetly, he danced with Carole in the living room while Kurt made the cookie dough with his father. Even laying the stockings out, an emotional moment as Finn’s was put into place, was brightened by Kurt presenting Blaine with a handmade stocking of his own. The entire family shed tears, mourning their family’s loss while celebrating their gain. They finished off the night with a viewing of Scrooge, a musical version of the Christmas Carol Blaine was shocked he had never seen before and thoroughly enjoyed. As the night came to a close, Blaine received long hugs from both Burt and Carole before they headed upstairs.

“Thank you for being here,” Carole said through fresh tears, “I love you so much.”

“We love you, kid, thanks for…well I guess being you,” Burt added sincerely.

Blaine wiped his own eyes with a choked-up laugh. “Thank you both, I love you guys too.”

That night, Kurt got to be the little spoon, his boyfriend cuddling him and humming Christmas carols. Tomorrow wasn’t going to be easy, but it would still be Christmas. Finn wasn’t going to be there, but he had the man behind him to hold through the tears. Gripping Blaine’s hand harder, he closed his eyes until Kurt’s sniffs subsided and he fell asleep.

_Christmas Future_

“How many did we get today?” Blaine called in from the kitchen, the smells of tonight’s dinner wafting through the apartment.

“Ummm…one, two, three, four,” Kurt counted under his breath, “five!” He busied himself with opening each card, glancing at the picture and skimming through signatures until he came across the final one. “Blaine! Rachel’s is here.”

“Oooh lemme see!”

Kurt heard the clink of a few pans before Blaine emerged, wearing an apron and a kitchen towel thrown over his shoulder. His husband hurried over to sit next to him on the couch, reading over his shoulder.

Brushing stray glitter off of his lap, Kurt opened the blue and silver card and read it out loud.

_Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays from the Berrys!!_

_Rachel is rehearsing for her new headliner (soon to be announced!) and Mitchel has officially moved his editing work to the home office. And of course, we are both beyond happy to say that Finn is enjoying his first holiday season as a healthy and happy baby. Love to you all and a happy New Year!! <3_

The message was followed by two signatures (one followed by a golden star) and a baby’s handprint. Enclosed was a picture of the happy couple, Rachel in a gorgeous red dress and her husband in an almost dorky emerald sweater. In his arms was a smiling chubby baby with brown hair and a tiny Santa hat sitting lopsided on his head.

There was a long pause, during which Kurt stared at the picture, beyond happy for his best friend, but still hurting that she wasn’t his sister…and she never would be.

He was pulled back into reality by Blaine hugging him from the side, pressing a gentle kiss to the single tear running down his cheek.

“I’m sorry, I just,” Kurt sighed.

“I know,” Blaine said quietly, “me too.”

Kurt cleared his throat, placing the cards in their designated Christmas card basket except for Rachel’s picture, which he placed on the side table.

“Just think of how happy Rachel will be when she sees our card.” Blaine smiled, gesturing to their card which was framed on the coffee table. The picture was of both their faces next to Quinn’s bare stomach, which, although flat, had _Coming Next Summer!_ written across in body paint.

Kurt laughed. “She’s probably going to scream at us for not telling her first.”

“Perhaps,” Blaine shrugged, “but the cuteness factor is worth it.”

“That it is,” Kurt smiled as Blaine kissed him once more. “Merry Christmas, husband.”

“Merry Christmas, daddy-to-be.”


	5. Balance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 2014, Day 2

“Come on honey, you can do it!” Blaine slowly skated backwards, his skates tracing gentle curves in the ice. “Use the cone for balance and just shift your weight back and forth. That’s it!” He winced. “Well, kind of…”

Isabelle giggled, gliding happily around her daddy’s legs as Blaine patiently held his arms out towards his husband.

“I can’t do this Blaine!” Kurt was several feet away from Blaine, leaning forward to balance on a traffic cone typically used to teach children. His skates kept buckling with each attempt to move forward, causing him to panic and grip the cone even tighter. “I swear I’m going to slip and skid and crack my head open if I move one step.”

“Yes you can!” Blaine encouraged, “what about that one time when I came up to visit you?”

“Doesn’t count,” Kurt hissed, face contorting in worry as his knees buckled again. “I was young, I was nervous about too many things to worry about falling, and I had beginner’s luck.”

“Come on Papa!”

The men both smiled as their daughter skated forward, clapping her gloved hands. The movement upset her balance, and no sooner than her mouth comically formed an ‘oh!’ of surprise, she was facedown on the ice.

“Isabelle!” Kurt lurched forward before gasping and grabbing the cone again. “Blaine!”

But Blaine was already grinning, holding out his hands to help her stand up. “Brush off the snow Isabelle!” He mimed the action until Isabelle followed suit with a laugh. “See Kurt? She fell down and she’s okay!”

“I fall down!”

Blaine picked her up carefully, Kurt staring in frustration at his ability to balance while holding a squirming toddler. After blowing a raspberry on her cheek, Blaine placed her on his hip before turning to Kurt once more. “Come on, baby, skate to us! Skate to Isabelle!”

“Skate, Papa, skate!”

Kurt took a deep breath, straightening until his hands were out to the side for balance. “Okay, but if I fall you’re playing nurse.”

“Just push with each foot!” Blaine beamed as Kurt slowly, surely, and shakily headed towards him.

At last, Kurt crossed the distance between them and fell into a family hug, kissing his daughter and husband in turn. “There, I did it!”

“See! And not a bruise to be seen,” Blaine set Isabelle down and took each of their hands. “How about we do a few laps as a family before we end the day with some hot chocolate?”

“Chocolate?!” Isabelle’s eyes grew in recognition.

“Yes baby, but after we skate some more, okay?” Kurt smiled before squeezing Blaine’s hand and humming along to the music in the background. Tis the season, after all.

_I’m dreaming of a white Christmas…_


	6. Cloud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 3

“Aha I found it!” Kurt victoriously held up the last set of Disney character figurines from a corner of the overflowing store. “Perfect.” He took out his handwritten lists (he was old-fashioned, he couldn’t help it) and checked something off. He joined Blaine, strategically saving his place in line, just as they both received a text from Rachel.

Blaine laughed; “it looks like Rachel’s being subjected to the Toy Story treatment, they’re watching the movie for the second time already.”

Rachel had agreed to watch the two Anderson-Hummel children while Kurt and Blaine tried to knock off as much of their Christmas shopping as possible. Which, thanks to Kurt’s organization and Blaine’s inspiration, was going rather well.

“Oh! That reminds me,” Kurt mused as Blaine paid for the figurines and the pair left the store, “we need to get a couple Toy Story items for him.” He pointed to Travis’ list, which contained the movie’s name underlined.

Blaine stopped suddenly, tugging lightly on Kurt’s elbow. “How about those?”

Kurt glanced over in Blaine’s direction, “What are you looking at?”

Pulling him up to the glass window of a snobby-looking boutique for children’s clothing, Blaine pointed eagerly at admittedly adorable footie pajamas in sky blue with clouds all over them.

“Blaaaine,” Kurt muttered as his husband practically ran inside. “They _are_ adorable but this place isn’t exactly money-friendly…oh.” His words fell short as he automatically reached out to feel the fabric Blaine was holding out to him with a smug grin. “Wow…that is so soft…”

“And we already put pajamas on our list since Travis is growing so fast.” Blaine nodded, clearly already sold.

“That’s true,” Kurt, grimaced at the price tag, “I still don’t see why Toy Story made you think of these.”

Blaine was practically bursting, excited about what was to him the icing on the cake. “The print, Kurt! The cloud print is almost exactly like Andy’s wallpaper! He’ll love it, it’s perfect.”

Kurt blew out a puff of air before nodding in agreement. “You’re right, and these are so much higher quality than what we would have gotten.” He flipped through the rack for the correct size, heading to the register as Blaine continued to poke around. Just as Kurt was about to swipe his card, a second, larger size was tossed onto the counter. He turned to Blaine in exasperation, which his husband answered with a ‘what can you do?’ look before gesturing to his phone. Nodding at the cashier to continue, Kurt opened yet another text from Rachel.

_Just so you know, I hope you’re getting Isabelle something Toy Story related too…she keeps saying she wants what her brother is getting!_

“Now you can cross off something on both their lists,” Blaine said proudly as they exited the store. “And just think of how many adorable matching pictures we’ll get!”

Kurt smiled to himself as Blaine continued on about the fluffy cloud pajamas…maybe he’d have to do some internet shopping later to see if they made those things in adult sizes.

(And for the record, Blaine ended up _loving_ his fluffy cloud print snuggie)


	7. Dessert

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 4 - Dessert

In Blaine’s opinion, dessert was the absolute most important part of any holiday season, bar none. And Christmas desserts were at the very top of his list.

This was why he was currently fighting a losing battle against his self-restraint, trying his best to arrange his face in a neutral expression despite the horror in his mind. Because on the table in front of him, at the center of the dessert display, sat the ugliest and most distasteful-looking food item he had ever seen. If demanded to give it a name, Blaine would probably have to go with something along the lines of ‘pie-crumble-pastry’; and that was being generous. He flashed Rachel what he hoped was happier than a grimace as she plopped a…slice on his plate.

Kurt, on the other hand, was not as generous. The couple had been invited to Rachel’s apartment along with Santana, Dani, and Elliott for a Hanukkah-Christmas Eve Party. While Kurt was initially insulted that Rachel demanded all cooking rights, he settled for bringing a bottle of wine and prayed that dinner would be edible. By the look on his boyfriend’s face, he was clearly wishing he’d put in a word about dessert as well.

“What…is this?”

Rachel flushed, determinedly serving the rest of her guests who seemed rather wary of the mystery dessert. “Well…originally I was going to make a cobbler, but that was hard so I decided to switch to a pie. And then, um, I wanted to try to make it vegan…I hope it tastes okay!”

Sharing skeptical looks, the bandmates all took small bites, quickly followed by sips of dessert wine.

“Not bad!”

“I think I taste…apple?”

“If you say so, babe.”

“Interesting,” Kurt allowed, looking pointedly to Blaine, where his dessert still sat untouched.

“Blaine?”

Blaine was never good at resisting Rachel’s puppy dog face…taking a breath, Blaine grabbed his fork. After all, you should never judge a book by its cover. Right?

A moment later, when a healthy forkful of dessert had instantly found its way back into his napkin and brought the entire table into fits of laughter, Blaine decided that maybe judgment _was_ necessary for some things in life.


	8. Evening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 5

A quiet evening with his boyfriend, that’s all that Blaine had wanted from the moment his alarm went off at five o’clock in the morning. It had been a long day, and an even longer week. Blaine had spent most of the day at a luncheon with June and many of her wealthy friends; clinking glasses, making connections, and carefully honing his professional persona. The event itself hadn’t been horrible, though he had definitely had some moments of anxiety with the number of people in attendance. It hadn’t been until he began making the rounds to say goodbye when he started feeling off, and it only got worse over the course of the train ride home. It wasn’t even that he could pin down the issue; he just all-around felt like crap.

When he finally made his way through their front door, Blaine felt a wave of relief at the darkness of the empty apartment. Forgoing a shower regardless of the gel in his hair, Blaine stripped off his suit, splashed a bit of water on his face, and pulled on a t-shirt and pajamas pants. Grabbing their softest blanket and a pillow, Blaine arranged himself on the couch. He would just lie down, just for a minute…

“…Blaine? Blaine?”

“wazz-Kurt?” Blaine blinked at the dimmed living room light as he opened his eyes. A glance at the clock showed that he had been asleep for almost two hours. He groaned, curling up again. He hated taking naps because he *always* felt worse afterwards. And on top of that his stomach still felt weird and…

“Kurt, what’s wrong with my lips?”

His boyfriend went and turned up the light, reaching to lift up Blaine’s chin and wincing slightly. “Oh yeah, they’re pretty swollen, honey.” He grabbed his bag and searched through it, handing Blaine some medicated blistex.

“Am I having an allergic reaction?” Blaine pouted, applying the balm before lying back down again.

“I don’t know,” Kurt brushed his hand across Blaine’s forehead in sympathy, sticking his tongue out at the feeling of the gel. “How about I make something for dinner?”

Blaine hummed, “okay, thank you Kurt. I dunno what I want though, I don’t feel well.” He felt a kiss on his cheek, heard his boyfriend murmur something, but he closed his eyes again. He sat up when Kurt nudged him awake, spooning a couple cauliflower patties onto his plate. Kurt fussed over making him comfortable and placing his plate on a lap desk, and once they both finished he happily cleaned up and maneuvered himself behind Blaine to snuggle. Blaine rested his head on Kurt’s chest, already feeling himself drift off again. He smiled at the feeling of Kurt’s arm wrapping around him. No matter how he felt, Kurt always managed to make him better.


	9. Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 6 - Fall

Kurt glanced over to Isabelle as he neatened up the kitchen, smiling at the sight of his daughter humming as she chose another crayon from her pencil box. She was still at the point where she loved school and everything to do with learning, so it was no trouble to convince her to work on her homework. Kurt knew that this attitude wouldn’t last forever, so he wanted to enjoy it while he still could. Wiping his hands off on a towel, he headed over and looked over her shoulder. “Whatcha drawing honey?”

“Pictures for my spelling words, papa!” She kicked her legs happily, picking up the next piece of paper.

“Wow!” Kurt beamed, pulling up a chair next to her. “Can you show me?”

“Okay!” Isabelle gathered up her work and pushed it over to him.

Kurt shifted through the papers. “Home. Oh very nice, I like how you drew daddy with a bow tie.”

Isabelle giggled. “He wears them all the time!”

“Yes he does. Oh look at spring, you drew very pretty flowers. Ocean…ooh that’s a tough word! Summer, very nice, that looks just like the beach. Winter. I love the snowman!” Kurt paused, eyebrows furrowing at the last paper in the pile. Under the title ‘Seasons – Fall’ there was a picture of a stick figure with black circles on their head and a distressed ‘O’ for a mouth. “Um…what’s this one honey?”

“My word is fall,” Isabelle informed him, completely unperturbed. “So I drew daddy when he fell and hurt his foot.”

Kurt pressed his lips together tightly, remembering the day in question. The two of them had been home alone at the same time, a rarity since their daughter had come along. In their enthusiasm, they had decided to start their morning off with shower sex…which had most unfortunately ended with Blaine falling out of the shower and spraining his ankle. So what was supposed to be a day of sex and sleep turned into a trip to the ER and Kurt nursing Blaine as he was laid up on the couch icing his elevated foot.

“It’s great honey, I bet daddy will love these.”

_Yup, this one was going on the refrigerator for sure._


	10. Grace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 7

From the very first time Blaine laid eyes on Kurt coming down the Dalton staircase, he was taken aback by Kurt’s natural grace. The way his chin was lifted just so, the way his long legs extended with each step, the way his hand glided over the banister…he was stunning. Even now, years later, after knowing Kurt’s body and soul inside and out, Blaine constantly found himself in awe of Kurt’s magnificent grace. And it never was more evident than on nights like this.

Blaine was lying on his back in their bed, lights off and pillows askew. He was completely naked, his eyes fixed on his husband.

Kurt was riding Blaine’s cock at a relaxed pace, head thrown back in ecstasy as he worked his hips rhythmically over Blaine. The white lights from their small bedroom tree reflected off his skin as he bit his lip, gasping as he stimulated his prostate. He looked like an angel; if angels fell from heaven to ride their worshipers into their mattress (if so, Blaine was definitely back on board with religion). It was practically a dance, the way Kurt rocked up and down, running his hands up his chest to play with his nipples or sweep through his hair.

Blaine moaned at the sight alone, touching as much of his husband’s body he could reach. The wet, tight heat engulfing his cock was torturous bliss. The pleasure ramped up again, both men panting and grunting until Kurt slowed down his movements, taking time to brush a lock of sweaty hair out of Blaine’s eyes. With a smoldering look, Kurt resumed his own rhythm once more, leading Blaine in his beautiful, elegant dance of pleasure. 

Blaine threw his head back, bursting with love and lust; he was more than happy to bear witness to and be the recipient of Kurt's grace.


	11. Harmony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 8

It was just over a week until Christmas, and Kurt was crying.

Being a kid, Christmas was all presents, vacation, and snow days; and it wasn’t until Kurt took on the responsibilities of an adult that he realized just how stressful the holiday season was. Work was insane, with people dropping like flies from the flu or simply jetting off to warmer destinations. He was behind on his own sketches, never mind making up for other people’s slack. Blaine’s number of students always shot up around this time as well, so he had barely seen his husband in weeks. Not to mention that any spare moment they had was spent trying to make the house picture-perfect for their daughter, who was honestly too young to fully appreciate it anyway. And on top of it all they had bills to pay, with the heating and electricity even higher than usual due to the season.

This was supposed to be the time he felt closest to Blaine; time for family, love, giving, and snuggling.

Instead, Blaine was in their room fuming, while Kurt cried on the living room couch. He couldn’t even remember what started it all.

Budgeting for Isabelle’s presents?

_“I don’t think we have enough, I told you we shouldn’t have left that behind.”_

_“But I told you I wanted to buy these!”_

Or deciding their traveling plans…

_“I told you I haven’t talked to her yet.”_

_“The longer we wait the more expensive these tickets get, I don’t understand what the issue is.”_

Or even the weekend itself.

_“But we had planned on going ice skating on Saturday!”_

_“I told you yesterday that I couldn’t do that. Why don’t you pay attention?”_

Putting down the tear-stained list he had been stressing over, Kurt took a deep breath and rubbed his hands over his face. Shivering from the cold leaking in through the window, he shuffled over to their closed bedroom door. Leaning forward, he didn’t hear anything but the occasional turn of a page. Before he could turn away, Kurt knocked lightly on the door before slipping through and closing it behind him, thankful that their toddler was fast asleep in her room.

Blaine immediately looked up, face drawn and body tense.

“I-”

“Can-”

The boys both couldn’t help but smile, before Blaine threw aside his book and held out his hand, a question shining in his eyes that broke Kurt’s heart.

Without needing to say another word, Kurt hurried across the room and let himself sink into his husband’s arms. They held each other close, and whispers of apologies and promises were exchanged as tears fell on both boys’ shoulders. Kurt pulled up the covers, naturally falling into place behind Blaine as they lay back down. He kissed him gently behind the ear and down his neck, smiling happily.

Tomorrow they would discuss what went wrong and how they could make things better. But for now, Kurt and Blaine were in harmony once more.


	12. Imprint

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 9

It was their first Christmas season since Blaine moved back in, and they were due to leave for Ohio the next day for a week of family visits and celebrating. To save on luggage space, they had decided to have their own private gift exchange in New York, an intimate night before the craziness of their families. The lights were dimmed save the candles on the counter and the colorful tree with a small pile of presents underneath.

Between the boys sat a dish of frosted fudge, and they fed tiny bites to each other with sips of eggnog in between opening gifts. They kept their presents simple and personal; it was a simplicity that truly spoke to what the holiday meant for both of them. After they had laughed and kissed over scarves, bowties, tickets, and other trinkets, Blaine went to move to the couch when Kurt stopped him.

“Wait. Um,” he looked nervous all of a sudden. “There’s one more.”

“Oh!” Blaine grinned, “okay! Where is it?”

Kurt closed his eyes, shifting his shoulders and posture. “If it’s okay, I have a present from-” He looked carefully at Blaine, trying to read his reception, until suddenly it clicked.

Almost instantly, Blaine’s entire being shifted. He tucked his knees underneath him and let out a breath. He seemed lighter somehow, and his eyes shown when he looked back up at his boyfriend.

“A gift from my Sir?” He asked, going for cheeky but his excitement caused him to be breathless instead.

“Yes, pet,” Kurt seemed to relax at Blaine’s reception. “I know we had talked about this several times, but I wanted to finally make it happen.” He turned and reached into the tree, sticking his tongue out as he searched. “Aha.” Carefully, Kurt extricated a square box from inside the branches and turned to his boyfriend with a hopeful smile. “This is for you my pet. If you’ll wear it, I offer this to you as a symbol of what you mean to me, and what we mean to each other.”

Already shaking slightly, Blaine reached forward and gently took the box, opening it as if it was made of glass. With a gasp, he lifted up the custom leather collar, admiring the solid craftsmanship.

“And the inside, I had it engraved.” Kurt looked on proudly.

Eyebrows shooting up, Blaine examined the collar more closely.

_My love, My beautiful, My pet_

“Thank you Sir,” Blaine choked out, wiping away happy tears. “Put it on me?”

“Yeah,” Kurt was just as emotional. “Yeah. Come here, pet.” Beaming, he locked the collar around Blaine’s neck, pressing his forehead against the back of Blaine’s head as he was overcome with the love he had for his sub.

“I love you Sir.”

“I love you too, my pet.”

The remainder of the night was spent on the couch. Blaine was curled into Kurt’s lap, practically purring as Kurt stroked his hair, face, and neck possessively.

The next day the collar had to be taken off and left behind for their Ohio trip, much to their mutual sadness. But the entire week of vacation, Blaine was uplifted by the memory of the heavy leather on his neck. It was a beauty and a privilege that left an imprint on his inner sub, heart, and soul. He couldn’t have asked for a more wonderful present.


	13. Jukebox

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 10

Blaine liked to think that practically every major milestone in his relationship with Kurt has been marked with some form of music. And he was sure that this upcoming December, their first as fathers, would be no exception.

The previous year (their first in the new house), Kurt had bought him a record player for their bedroom. It served both as “vintage décor” and gave Blaine the chance to “listen to his favorite classes in their original sound.”

This year, their mutual gift to each other was completing their basement project – finishing it into a playroom for their future family. Their little one was much too young to enjoy it, but they designed it with plans in mind for many years to come. It may not have been the anticipation and surprise of past Christmases, but fulfilling all the same to know they were investing in their family.

Come Christmas morning, Blaine woke up late, gratefully taking the extra time since it was Kurt’s morning to feed the baby. When he finally shuffled into the kitchen, sighing happily at the smell of cinnamon, he gave his husband and son a kiss and sat with them at the table. In the midst of pouring himself a cup of coffee, Kurt cleared his throat.

“So daddy,” Kurt was looking down at their son, bouncing him in his arms. “I think there’s a present under the tree for you.”

“Is there?” Blaine made a funny face, beaming as his son smiled back. He glanced at the tree, and his eyebrows shot up in surprise. A giant wrapped box, one that was most certainly not there last night, sat beside the tree. With the joy of a child, he jumped up and began unwrapping. Inside was a beautiful jukebox.

“ _Kurt.”_ He was speechless, in awe over the gorgeous piece.

“It’s not from me,” Kurt’s eyes twinkled. “Read the card.”

“Dear daddy,” Blaine read aloud. “Here is the perfect finishing touch for our playroom, so you me and papa can celebrate music together. Love, Brandon.” He turned to his husband with tears in his eyes. “I love you both so much.”

“We love you too.” Kurt and Brandon leaned into his arms. “Merry Christmas, Blaine.”


	14. Kindred

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 11

There was no denying that Blaine and his nephew were kindred spirits. With the same curly hair, bright eyes, and kind personality, the two of them were peas in a pod at every holiday gathering. Kurt found it precious, though he was fairly certain Cooper felt a certain degree of jealousy. But even the older Anderson brother couldn’t help but smile at the joy on Blaine’s face when Xavier would show him a new piece he learned on the piano or a painting he was working on in art class. More than anything else, Blaine’s amazing comradery with his nephew made Kurt daydream of a time in the future when they would have child of their own. Blaine would be an incredible father, Kurt was certain; supportive, encouraging, enthusiastic, and embarrassing in just the right amount.

The night that dream came true was perfect. When Kurt watched Blaine hold their daughter for the first time, stroking her dark hair in awe, he couldn’t help but cry. It was everything he could have imagined and like nothing he could have dreamed.

Words weren’t needed, and neither were declarations of love. Instead, the couple held hands and watched their daughter sleep; united as husbands, fathers, and protectors of their beautiful little angel.


	15. Legacy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 12

“This is it.”

“It’s…beautiful Blaine.”

“It’s amazing.”

“And you made it entirely by yourself.”

Blaine shot Kurt a look. “Don’t patronize me Kurt; you know I couldn’t have done it without you.”

“Still,” Kurt was trying desperately not to laugh, “you picked out the fabric and the pattern and did all the sewing. I just guided you along.”

“It’ll be my legacy – our legacy!” Blaine’s eyes grew huge at the image in his mind. “It’ll be a tradition, a rite of passage!” He gestured wildly to Kurt. “We have to decide! Should I make more now or wait to make each one individually for our future children and nieces and nephews...oh! We should both have at least one as well, so maybe I should make those first-”

“Blaine!” Kurt interrupted. “Um…how about first we focus on perfecting the shape?” He bit his lip as Blaine looked back at his handiwork with a pout. The bow tie, made of bright red fabric with Santa hat-clad penguins on it, looked bedraggled and uneven. Yet it was somehow the perfect display of Blaine’s childlike enthusiasm despite lacking the clean and professional edges of Kurt’s product.

“…you really think it’s that bad?” Blaine sighed as he fruitlessly tried to tighten the knot in the center of the tie.

“Actually,” Kurt snatched the tie out of Blaine’s hands. “I just want an excuse to keep this one for myself.” He grinned as Blaine’s face brightened once more. “I can’t wait to see our future family clad in our legacy of cheesy homemade bowties.” He kissed Blaine sweetly, “and I will proudly be wearing the very first one.”


	16. Midnight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 13

Kurt had always been a night owl, always preferring to stay up late and sleep in a little longer the next morning. Whether it was to get homework done, sketch out some ideas for a new suit design, or to listen to music…there was something about the late hours that spoke to Kurt. And midnight, somehow yesterday and today and tomorrow all at the same time, seemed the most magical of all.

Even as a child, midnight on Christmas day was one of his favorite times of the year. It held such promise, the beginning of the holiday and the promise of excitement, food, and family when he woke up. Now, as an adult, husband, and father, he didn’t usually have the luxury of enjoying the quiet of midnight.

But it became one of their Christmas Eve traditions, his and Blaine. Come midnight, they would stop their wrapping and labeling of presents, their sipping of milk, and nibbling of cookies. Blaine would pull Kurt onto the window seat or the couch, wrap a fuzzy blanket around the two of them, and take a few minutes to relax. No words were exchanged, no television on in the background, and sometimes they would even pause the music just to listen to the relative silence of their home.

Kurt knew that Blaine didn’t quite understand his feelings about midnight, nor did he ever really try to explain them. But something about those minutes of peace and togetherness before the happy chaos of their favorite holiday put Kurt in the Christmas spirit more than anything else, and he couldn’t be more grateful that he could share them with his soulmate. 


	17. Needle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 14

“Ugh!” Isabelle threw her things down on the table with an irritated whine. “I don’t wanna do this anymore! This is…this is dumb.” She crossed her arms and pouted at the mess in front of her.

“ _Izzy,_ ” Blaine looked up from his grading and pushed his glasses up his nose from where they had fallen. “You know how we feel about that kind of language.”

“Plus,” Kurt added gently, “I thought you were excited about this project?”

“Not anymore! Mrs. Card is mean,” the girl glared at the scraps of fabric.

Mrs. Card, her second grade teacher, had given them a sewing project for the class’ latest unit. After going excitedly with Kurt to pick out two different fabric choices, she was supposed to follow the pattern to create a small pillow. However, she had only gotten to cutting and pinning her squares together when she hit her first major roadblock; threading the needle. Kurt had gotten her one with as big an eye as possible, but she lacked the patience to keep at the tough task.

“You’ve only tried twice.” Kurt put down his needle from where he was working on his own project to keep her company. “Here, watch me.” He pulled his thread out and picked up the end, wetting it in his mouth before lining it up with the tiny hole. He slid it in effortlessly on the first try, the result of years of experience.

After a heavy sigh (how could a second grader already be this sarcastic?) Isabelle tried again, copying her father’s technique by jamming the thread against the needle. This, of course, resulted in the thread splitting apart and Isabelle tearing up in frustration.

“Hey sweetie it’s okay.” Kurt grabbed his scissors and made a fresh cut in her thread. “Try one more time. Go slowly and carefully.”

Sniffling, Isabelle nodded and focused, sticking out her tongue as she guided the thread through the hole until-

“I DID IT!” She hurriedly turned to Kurt with pride, and he quickly pulled the thread through to prevent it from falling out.

“Good job Isabelle! That’s my girl.” He gave her a kiss on the head, sharing a _god I love being a father_ look with Blaine.

She wiggled on her seat happily before turning to the fabric with a confused expression. “So…how do I do it?”

Blaine chuckled as Kurt let out a breath and moved his chair next to hers. It was going to be a long, but hopefully rewarding, night.


	18. Occasion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 15

“Kurt?” Blaine called from where he was setting the table. “Should I bring out the Special Occasion Candles?”

Kurt poked his head into the dining area looking frazzled, his hair pulled back in a headband and his hands in rubber gloves. “Of course! It’s a special occasion; ergo the Special Occasion Candles are needed.” He scoffed, as if the question shouldn’t have been asked in the first place.

“…but what about the Christmas candles?”

There was a heavy pause, followed by a bucket tipping over and a low curse. “Oh god I didn’t even think of that…”

“Wait! How about I’ll rearrange the Christmas candles on the mantle, then we can put the Special Occasion candles on the dining room table?”

“Perfect!” Kurt tripped as he pulled the Swiffer out of the bathroom. “Everything needs to go perfectly for her first Christmas break-”

_Knock knock_

Kurt and Blaine both froze, staring at the door before looking at each other in horror.

“She wasn’t supposed to be home for another three hours.” Blaine whispered, arms filled with approximately six candles.

Kurt burst into tears at about the same time their daughter opened the door.

“Dad! What’s wrong?” She hurried forward, placing her luggage to the side and wrapping Kurt in a hug.

“I just,” he hiccupped, “I just wanted everything to be nice and clean and perfect when you came home so it would be a special occasion!”

“You’re ridiculous.” Lizzie stepped back and wiped her eyes. “I’m just happy to be back with you guys for Christmas. That alone is a special occasion to me.”

“You’re so cheesy,” Kurt shook his head, “you get that from your father.”

Blaine put down the candles and kissed his daughter on the head. “That she does.”

Kurt sighed, pulling off his headband and throwing his apron to the side. “Well, how about we do takeout tonight to start off break, and we’ll do a big dinner tomorrow?” He smiled at his husband and daughter. “And yes, we’ll still light our Special Occasion Candles.”


	19. Please

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 16

“ _Please, please_ ”

Blaine quietly moaned the word over and over into Kurt’s thigh as his boyfriend gently hushed him, threading his fingers through Blaine’s hair.

“You’re okay Blaine; you’re such a good boy.” Kurt looked down at his boyfriend’s shaking hands, which were grasping onto Kurt like a lifeline. “Just slow down your breaths, that’s it.” He smiled proudly as Blaine’s shuddering breaths became more drawn-out. “You’re doing so well, just keep listening to my voice, okay?”

Blaine nodded, his forehead still not lifting to make eye contact.

After a long and tiring fall semester, Blaine had completed his final day, which consisted of reviews for his performance in each class as well as his internship with the music department. At the end of the day, Blaine had hardly stepped through the door, his scarf and coat caked with snow, before collapsing into a chair and tearing up. From there his stress and anxiety took over and sent him into a spiral of worry, regret, and self-doubt. It had taken but one order (“ _Stop.”_ ) for Blaine to sink gratefully to his knees.

“Can we just…can you?” Blaine murmured, his hands more relaxed and his breathing closer to normal.

Kurt very carefully guided Blaine’s chin up to look into his sub’s eyes. “Do you want to go under, baby?”

Blaine squeezed his eyes shut before releasing his tension in an exhale. “Yes, oh please Kurt. Please.”

Kurt stood up, bringing Blaine with him and leading him to the bedroom. Tomorrow they would talk through his problems together and move forward as a couple. But for tonight, Kurt would be Blaine’s Sir; giving his boyfriend the comfort, guidance, and freedom he needed to feel safe and comfortable.


	20. Rent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 17

“This can’t be right.” Kurt took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. God why was rent so damn expensive in this city. “Blaine, we’re going to be short this month, I’ve added everything up three times.” He sniffed as Blaine pulled his plate out of the microwave and waked over. “I guess the splurges, the tickets, the presents...” He wiped away tears with a frustrated glare at the paperwork.

Blaine sighed, sitting down and glancing at the budget Kurt had typed up and written all over. “Yeah, I guess it doesn’t help that your customers haven’t been too generous with the tips either. But Kurt, we’ll figure this out. I promise. If we want I can even-”

“No.” Kurt shook his head fiercely. “We are not asking your parents for money, we are doing this on our own.”

“Okay, okay. Look,honey, but what if-”

“Maybe I’ll take more double shifts,” Kurt was already five steps ahead, mind whirring with possible solutions. “And we’ll stop date nights, no more take out…”

“Kurt!”

“What?” His eyes were slightly crazed with stress.

Blaine carefully pulled off Kurt’s glasses and turned his chair to face him. “Kurt. We’ll pull some from our wedding fund, it’ll be okay. And before you panic,” he raised an eyebrow as Kurt immediately tensed up. “I know our wedding is important, but so is Christmas. And I don’t want the holiday to be spoiled by panic over spending a little extra, okay?”

Kurt opened his mouth, clearly ready to argue, but Blaine quickly stopped him with a kiss.

“It’ll be okay, we’ll be okay. And we’ll take it one week at a time.”

Kurt sighed, nodding before kissing Blaine again.

“For richer and for poorer,” Kurt relaxed again, letting Blaine lead him away from the table.

Blaine gave him another kiss before moving them to the bedroom. “Always and forever.”


	21. Scarves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 18

_“Well, Blaine loves football. I love scarves.”_

Kurt had said it ages ago, and the phrase still rang true over a decade later. But Blaine’s love could be satisfied by DVR, game nights with Burt, and the occasional tickets to see them touchdown in person (which was still a big deal for some reason). But for Kurt…years of bargains, birthdays, and the occasional foray into DIY had led him to this exact moment.

“Do…you want some time alone with them?” Blaine eyed his husband warily from across the room where he was straightening up their bed.

“No. I can do this…it’s no big deal. I’m just going to downsize a bit. That’s all.” Kurt’s voice was slightly higher, the way he always spoke when he was lying.

Not that Blaine didn’t understand. Years earlier he had faced a similar intervention with his bowties which was emotionally taxing to resolve (he had completed the task only by shipping boxes to his parent’s house instead of donating them – not that Kurt had to know that). He walked over to where Kurt was staring at their closet with trepidation. “Good luck babe.” He gave him a quick kiss before heading out of the line of fire – he knew better than to ask to help with this one.

The next several hours saw Blaine catching up on paperwork and grading, humming to fill the quiet since Rachel had offered to take the kids Christmas shopping today. Now that he could hear the muttering from their bedroom, he was doubly grateful for her.

“Oh not this one. Or these.”

“Goddammit I can’t freaking do this I swear.”

“Shit! If that’s a fucking stain…”

“HA! This one can go, she was a bitch.”

After a long period of silence, Blaine finally felt brave enough to venture into their room, stifling his laughter at what he found. Kurt was lying on their bed, asleep on a small pile of warm scarves. Their scarf organizer was still absolutely packed, and the box especially set up for donations only had two thrown into it. Shaking his head, Blaine carefully moved aside a bundle of fashion scarves and snuggled up behind his husband. Organizing could wait.


	22. Twist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 19

Isabelle was moping on the couch, kicking her feet repeatedly against the coffee table.

_Thunk. Thunk. Thunk._

“Mind telling us what’s wrong instead of taking it out on the furniture?” Blaine lifted her feet up to sit next to her.

She sighed dramatically, falling back on to the cushions. “My troop is all going to this dance called a Me and My Guy Dance.”

“What’s that?” Kurt asked from where he was drying the dishes.

“It’s this dance,” Isabelle rolled her eyes, “and everyone takes a special guy like a dad or uncle or grandpa or something. And it’s themed. I think our leader said we can wear skirts with poodles or something. Like old music.”

Blaine lit up, bouncing up and down. “Ooh! That sounds like so much fun! Why are you upset honey? I thought you liked dancing?”

“I dooo! But…I don’t know what to do because I don’t have just one dad.”

Blaine melted. “Oh honey, it’s okay. We won’t feel bad!”

“I could sew you a poodle skirt no problem,” Kurt added.

“But I wanna go with both of you!” Isabelle sniffed, looking away.

“Well…”

Kurt’s head shot up. “Blaine…”

“Maybe we can ask if there’s a rule against it…”

***

The next week, Isabelle proudly showed up to the dance in a black poodle skirt, giant pink hair bow, and oversized plastic glasses with a dad on each arm.

And Kurt and Blaine proudly showed off their trophy for winning the dance competition to The Twist for weeks following the dance.

“Just wait until next year’s theme,” Kurt had said after with a gleam in his eye, “we’ll win the costume contest too.”


	23. Uniform

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 20

“I don’t get it, why do we have to wear these?”

Isabelle and Travis were fidgeting in the hallway, decidedly uncooperative as Kurt tried to arrange them for a first day of school picture.

“Come on, Trav,” Blaine fixed the tie his son had tugged on yet again. “You look great!”

“It’s just a _uniform_ , dad.” Isabelle’s tone was sarcastic as Kurt tucked a stray piece of hair behind a barrette. “They’re all the same.”

“No they’re not!” Travis protested. “You said there was short sleeve shirts and long sleeve shirts and sweaters and-”

“Alright, trooper, we get it.” Blaine went to ruffle his hair but stopped at Kurt’s warning look. “What we’re saying is this school is the best one around, and it happens to have a uniform.”

Kurt whipped out his phone and took a few pictures before the kids could get more ancy. “Plus,” he added; “uniforms aren’t so bad. Your dad and I met wearing our school uniforms, you know.”

“You did?” Isabelle paused in her complaining, looking at her dads in awe.

“We did.” Blaine leaned over to give his husband a peck on the cheek. “I was the epitome of dashing in my Dalton blazer.”

She scrunched her forehead. “What does ep-i-toe-me mean?”

“It means that for now, until we move, you’ll both be wearing uniforms. But they don’t have to be a bad thing! And take it from me,” he took her favorite butterfly hair bow from the table, “you can always find some way to make it your own.” With a smile, he fixed it to the top of her ponytail.

Isabelle beamed, flipping her hair several times before grabbing Travis’ hand. “Come on Travis, let’s get in the car!”

With a happy sigh, Kurt turned to his husband. “I’ll take them today,” he kissed Blaine with a hum. “Be ready for me when I get back?” With a wink, he grabbed the keys and his jacket, hopping into the car.

Slightly dazed, Blaine licked his lips before going up the stairs two at a time. The epitome of dashing…he still had that old uniform, right?


	24. Vacation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 21

Kurt and Blaine had gone back and forth about it, about traveling for the holiday. Burt and Carole were going on a cruise, after much convincing from Kurt. Blaine’s parents were in the Philippines, and their friends were all doing separate celebrations. Eventually, after much discussion, they decided to bring it up to the kids.

“So guys,” Blaine had sat Isabelle and Travis on the couch for a ‘family meeting’ with Kurt and him leaning against the coffee table. “We were wondering what you thought about maybe doing something different for Christmas this year.”

“What about presents?!” Travis interrupted with wide eyes. Isabelle nodded urgently.

“We’ll still have presents, don’t worry about that.” Kurt shook his head with a laugh. “What we’re _considering_ ,” he stressed the word, “is maybe going on a vacation for Christmas. Grandad, Nana, Grandpa, and Grandma aren’t going to be at home, so we thought we might do something special with just us.”

Blaine and Kurt waited as the kids looked at each other in silence, confused and wondering what to do with this new offer.

“So…” Isabelle spoke up, “we would go on a trip for Christmas? And still have presents?” Her dads nodded. “But what about our tree? What about playing in the snow?”

“We would still get a tree,” Blaine reassured.

“And trust me, I’m sure there will be snow well after Christmas,” Kurt said wryly.

Pacified, the kids’ interests seemed to peak.

“Where are we going?”

“Can I go shopping?”

“Do we get to fly on a plane?”

“Alright, alright hold your horses,” Kurt settled them down.

Blaine smiled as Kurt readied their announcement; he loved when Kurt unknowingly sounded just like Burt. With a glance at his husband, he grabbed his laptop from beside him and turned it around to face the kids.

“We were thinking,” Kurt couldn’t help his giant grin as he gestured to the picture on the screen, “of going to Disney World and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.”

Any other comment they could have added was overpowered by Isabelle’s high pitched scream, causing Travis to cover his ears with a frown.

“TRAVIS TRAVIS WE’RE GOING TO DISNEY WE’RE GOING TO MEET THE PRINCESSES AND MICKEY AND YOU CAN MEET OLAF AND EVERYONE FROM THE MOVIES!!”

Soon enough, Travis began screaming too; regardless of his understanding of what was going on, he always loved to copy his sister.

Blaine wiped his eyes, laughing as Kurt did the same. It was moments like this that the two of them had been looking forward to since they got engaged so many years ago.

Isabelle abandoned the couch and started running around the house, Travis following in her footsteps.

“I LOVE YOU SO MUCH DADDY AND PAPA I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!” She broke down into wordless screeches again, swinging Travis around by his hands. “We’re going to Disney World, we’re going to Disney World!” She continued to the words over and over.

“I suppose we take that as a yes?” Blaine turned to Kurt with an emotional laugh.

Kurt nodded. “We’ll buy the tickets tonight.” Pausing to listen and make sure the kids hadn’t achieved any grave injury in their excitement; he pulled Blaine in for a deep kiss. “Merry Christmas, Blaine.”

“Merry Christmas Kurt,” Blaine said after they pulled away, beaming proudly. “We’re the best dads ever.”


	25. Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning in this chapter for potential season 6 spoiler

“A Christmas wedding…” Kurt mused as they viewed the final options for the centerpieces, “I can’t believe this is actually happening.”

Blaine nodded, admiring the poinsettias in the display he favored. “I was worried it would be cliché, actually. But I think everything is turning out perfectly.” He turned to the florist following them eagerly. “Is it possible to have the silver accent _slightly_ more stressed?”

“Of course, Sir, let me just fix that for you.” The man scuttled into the back room, frantically searching for more silver ribbon.

Kurt sighed, easing himself down onto one of the cream chairs to survey the fruit of months of wedding planning. “Honestly, Blaine? I think these are pretty much perfect, they match the vision board exactly.”

“Mhm, I agree. Do you think we’ll be wearing matching poinsettias with our suits?”

Kurt wrinkled his nose. “I hope not, that would look terrible with our color palette.”

“Okay,” Blaine nodded, pulling a list out of his pocket. “So that’s the centerpieces, the linens...those are taken care of. Ooh and the cake tasting – we’re going tomorrow right?”

“Yup,” Kurt smiled, “your favorite part.”

“Can you blame me?” Blaine winked before walking up to the counter and approving the completed centerpiece.

Kurt stood up and waited for Blaine by the door, sending Quinn a quick text to confirm a catering question that had caused drama the previous day. No sooner had Blaine taken his elbow to leave when his phone rang, and he answered with a smile.

“Yes, Isabelle?”

Blaine beamed at Kurt’s amused “mmhmm” and “okay” despite the panicked chatter coming through the line.

“No! No honey I told you it was no problem. No-nonono it’s all taken care of. Yes, I promise, everything is just like you wanted.” He gave Blaine a thumbs up, who conveyed the message to the florist with a wave. Taking his husband’s hand, they strolled back to their car. “Sweetheart, I promise, you’re going to have the most beautiful wedding ever. Okay, I love you too. See you tomorrow.”

“The most beautiful wedding ever, huh?” Blaine teased after his husband hung up the phone.

“Well I had to calm her down somehow,” Kurt sighed. “Who knew that being a father of the bride would be just as stressful as being a groom?”

“She is your daughter in every sense of the word,” Blaine commented fondly.

Kurt leaned over and gave his husband a peck as they drove away. “At least she didn’t beat us for drama. I’d kill her if she decided last minute to elope.”

Blaine blanched. “Don’t even joke…the amount of favors I had to call in to get that venue.”

“And that dress…” Kurt shared a nervous glance before picking up his phone again. “Maybe I’d better reassure her again, just in case.”


	26. Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 23

It was the evening of December 31st, and Kurt was making his list.

Ever since he was a little boy, it was a tradition special to him and his mother. On the last day of every year, the two of them would sit down and make a list of everything good that had happened since January 1st. Before the new year began, they would take turns reading the items out loud to each other to remind them of the positive things in life. It never failed to lift Kurt’s spirits and bring him into the next year with hope.

“So, how are we doing?” Blaine asked gently as he sat next to him.

Kurt smiled, tilting the list so Blaine could read over it with him. “I’m just about done.”

Blaine read them under his breath, squeezing Kurt’s hand lightly. “These are great, babe.”

Finally, Kurt added the last item with a flourish, bringing up Blaine’s hand for a kiss.

_Got married to my soul mate._

Kurt’s lips quirked upwards, remembering a line from several years ago that still held true.

“When you think about it,” he murmured and he relaxed into Blaine’s embrace, “Kurt Anderson-Hummel has had a pretty good year.”


	27. Zigzag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last day of the 2014 klaine advent challenge! I'm so happy that I was able to complete it, and I hope you all enjoyed them :)

Blaine sighed happily, patting his tum tum as he snuggled with Kurt on the Hummel’s well-loved couch. As much as preparing for and celebrating Christmas was a joy, there was a lazy, content joy in the aftermath. They had spent a good night with the Andersons on Christmas Eve and a wonderful Christmas day with Burt, Carole, Rachel, and Jesse. But at this hour, dinner and dessert had been eaten, presents exchanged, games played, stories told back and forth, until only Kurt and Blaine remained awake. The room was dark but for the dying fire and the lights on the tree, with flecks of snow falling past the window adding to the atmosphere.

There was nothing, Blaine thought to himself, nothing that could make this day better. Spending time with his husband and his family always made him feel blessed beyond belief.

“Blaine?” Kurt broke the silence gently.

“mmm, yes love?” Blaine murmured, keeping his eyes closed as he snuggled into Kurt’s neck.

“Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas, Kurt,” he answered with a smile.

“I want us to have a baby next year.”

“Mmhmm, o-” Blaine’s eyes shot open. Even now, years later, his husband zigged when he thought he was going to zag. “I-wha-baby?”

“Is that okay?” Kurt looked down, the question genuine but the twinkle in his eyes showed that he knew Blaine’s answer.

“Yes. God _yes_ Kurt. So okay.” Still in shock, he kissed his husband deeply. “Oh my god Kurt a baby, oh my god.”

Kurt pressed his lips to Blaine’s head and giggled. “I love you, Blaine, I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” Blaine wiped away a happy tear, “zigzags and all.”


End file.
